Cargo straps (webs) and web winches are familiar tools and commonly use to secure material and equipment atop flat bed tractor trailers. Strap winches are often permanently mounted to flat bed trailers along their sides beneath the beds. Strap winches incorporate a rotating drum around which the cargo strap is wound and rachet mechanisms that allow the strap to be drawn down taut. Generally, the ratchet mechanism is hand operated, which requires the user to use a lever tool, such as a crowbar, to turn a collar that rotates the drum to wind and tension the cargo strap.
When not in use, cargo straps are typically wound onto the winch drums for storage. Winding and storing individual cargo straps onto the strap winches is time consuming and troublesome. Strap winches are designed to draw the strap taut to secure the equipment or material using the leverage of a crowbar or other lever tool. Strap winches are not designed to quickly wind long cargo straps for storage. It is difficult to hand turn the collar that winds the strap drum, and manipulating a crowbar to turn the collar is inefficient for simply winding the straps for storage. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that strap winches are often mounted beneath the flat bed trailers, which limits access to the winches.
Cargo strap theft is a frequent occurrence and a serious inconvenience, particularly for flat bed trailer operators. Cargo straps stored on the strap winches are visible and accessible to thieves making them easily stolen. Replacing stolen cargo straps is costly. Furthermore, storing the webs on the winches also exposes the webs to the elements. In winter, snow and ice adhere to the webs and make using the webs difficult. Ideally, cargo webs should be quickly wound into rolls and stored inside the truck cab or some locked storage bin on the trailer or cab.
To deter cargo web theft and conveniently store cargo webs, a convenient winding apparatus is needed. The winding apparatus must be stowable within the truck cab or storage bins and easy to use. The winding apparatus should wind the webs into coils directly off the web winches without tangling or soiling the webs on the ground.